But there’s one generation of Porsche 911 that remains a bargain: the 996.

As we’ve discussed before, the 996 — built from 1997 to 2006 — has been maligned for quite a reasons, starting with its water-cooled flat-six and its runny-egg headlights and continuing through its lackluster interior. But these are the sorts of quibbles that are easy to make when a new car winds up being a massive deviation from an iconic predecessor (or, alternatively

Here in 2019, with close to two decades between us and the 996, many of those complaints seem to be missing the forest for the trees. It still has that iconic silhouette, it still has the engine in the back, it still makes that coarse boxer roar when you mat the gas, and it still puts a smile on its driver’s face when he or she tosses it through a turn. It’s still a Porsche 911.

And while the prices of pretty much every 911 — and hell, even other less-respected Porsches — have been blasting skyward, 996 values have been flying nap-of-the-earth. A quick look at Bring a Trailer reveals that, of the 280 examples of the generation to hit the auction site over the years, the vast majority have sold for less than $30,000 — a price that puts it in league with a VW GTI or Honda Civic Si. And many cars are far cheaper.